News & Notes

This week, the General Assembly is on furlough and will not return to Columbia until Tuesday, April 18th. There are only 12 legislative days left in the 2017 session, and we are at a pivotal point in the road debate.

Out-of-state special interest groups continue to propagate misinformation in the hopes of killing a plan to fix our roads. We need your help to counter their effort by making direct contact with your Senator in support of the roads bill, H.3516.

Given the Governor’s veto threat, the roads bill needs support from at least 2/3 of senators voting to sustain a veto override. Senators in our delegation will play an integral role in securing passage of a roads bill. Please take a moment to let your Senator know you support the road funding plan and expect for them to not return home without passing a plan this year.

The following Senators voted against the motion to set the road bill for debate. However, they have indicated they are willing to support a compromise road bill.

“I respectfully ask Senator __________ to support the roads bill, H.3516. Continued inaction threatens our state’s economy and more importantly the safety of our citizens. I respectfully ask the Senator to vote yes on H.3516 and vote to override a potential veto from Governor McMaster. The Senate must do the job they were elected to do – don’t come home without passing a road bill.”

Share our call to action with your contacts.Please consider forwarding the below ‘call to action’ to your contacts and employees. Feel free to edit the below letter; however, do not change the phone number and links provided that connect individuals to their senator’s office.

To All ________ Employees,

South Carolina’s roads and bridges are deteriorating, and infrastructure repairs have been severely underfunded. Not only does South Carolina have the some of the most dangerous roads in the nation, but traffic congestion threatens our economic prosperity and quality of life.

After 30 years of inaction, it is time for a long-term solution to fix the crumbling transportation system. _________ supports long-term funding solutions to maintain a safe and efficient transportation system.

This month, the South Carolina House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a comprehensive roads bill. The Senate will now consider the legislation which would increase the state’s gas tax by 12 cents a gallon and levy other fees – raising about $800 million a year to repair the state’s crumbling roads.

However, the roads bill is stalled in the SC Senate, and significant road funding is in danger of being deferred for another year. We need your help. If you are willing, please contact your Senator in support of the roads bill. The process is simple and takes no more than one minute.

There are two easy steps:

Call your Senator using our patch through phone system at 803-336-7444 – enter your zip code to be connected, then tell your Senator to vote “Yes” on the road bill H.3516.